Division
by Bard Linn
Summary: Set in Quela's Bound Universe Cloud is hiding a secret, one that even he has forgotten. But when that secret returns, it could mark the end of everything the pair has worked for. Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

This story is based upon Quela's Bound and written with the author's permission and encouragement. If you haven't read Bound I suggest you go read that first and then come back. It'll still be here.

Pairing(s): Same as Bound, at the moment.

Disclaimer: None of the characters who appear in this fiction belong to me. Some belong to Quela. The others belong to their respective owners. Please don't sue, as then there will be much unhappiness and no buying more Square-Enix products.  
Part 1

Considering what had happened yesterday, one would expect Cloud to wake up in a good mood.

To Sephiroth's surprise, it was the exact opposite. He frowned, able to sense the anxiety just under Cloud's mask of cheerfulness. _What's wrong?_

Cloud somehow managed to mentally stumble. _"I'm not sure, Seph. But…I don't think I'm up to dealing with the others today if I don't have to."_

"Cloud-"

_"Please, Seph. I really can't figure out what's bothering me."_ The blond shook his head, though no one could see it. _"I feel like I've forgotten something important. But I can't figure out what."_

"Maybe you should – "

"Seph?" Zack poked his head into the hotel room from the hallway. "You coming?"

"In a moment."

Zack might not be as acutely observant as Vincent, but he was smart enough to pick up when his friend and former lover was unsettled. "What's wrong?"

"Something's bothering Cloud, but he won't tell me what it is," Sephiroth replied as he swung Masamune onto his back.

_"Only because I don't know what it **is**."_ Cloud mentally rejoined. _"I'll let you know if I figure it out."_

There was nothing more Sephiroth could say to that. With a purely mental sigh he followed Zack out of the room.

**O o O**

Aeris frowned, as she became aware of a missing member of their party. Nanaki had been doing his best to stay out from underfoot yesterday, but he had not appeared for breakfast this morning. She hoped he was alright, though chances of the great cat encountering anything he couldn't handle in Kalm of all places were pretty small. The flower girl sighed and tried to calm herself. The endless surprises lately had unsettled her: finding out about what happened to Zack, the entire debacle with the Shinra company, Sephiroth, Cloud, _Vincent_ (and Chaos)… most especially the shock of Marlene's apparent heritage. For someone who had know her entire life that she was the last of her kind, to have been truly alone all of her existence since her blood mother died, the concept that there just might be more like her was an incredible one.

Ironic that Sephiroth had discovered the same revelation not too long ago in Nibelheim and had reacted with anger and despair rather than the joy and hope Aeris felt.

More than anything, Aeris needed a chance to settle herself. She was away from the place she had spent years of work making the earth alive again and that had shaken her more than she had expected. Absentmindedly the brunette wondered when she could start a garden here as well. There was nothing that settled her being like working in Gaea's soil.

A knock on the door startled Aeris from her thoughts. She walked over to the entrance quickly and opened it. "Hello, can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a friend. Maybe you can help?"

The minute the figure spoke Aeris felt knowledge well upside of her, whether from the Lifestream, Gaea or some other source she could not say. This person was like her; not a Cetra but something very similar. That similarity had brought them together. The ancient smiled. "Perhaps I can. Please come in. Would you like some tea?"

**O o O**

By the end of the day both Zack and Sephiroth were ready to hit Cloud over the head. The youth had become increasingly snappish, resembling a typical moody adolescent teenager – perhaps with the addition of the famous "PMS" – in contrast to his usual controlled self. Whatever was bothering Cloud had grown enough that Sephiroth was getting glimpses of what his lover was feeling. There were touches of helplessness, of being trapped, of a great despair somehow kept distant by a force neither could understand, but most of all there was an overwhelming sense of something looming over head, an event that would change everything. Sephiroth supposed he could understand why Cloud had gotten out of sorts if he was feeling that all day; a few moments had nearly driven him to distraction.

They were still in Kalm's inn, even though they had made contact with Nanaki earlier that day. The great cat had informed them that Aeris, Tifa and the others had safely made it to Kalm as well. After a bit of discussion the group had asked Nanaki not to reveal their presence to the others just yet. The last goodbye had been painful enough; if they decided on a course to follow tomorrow and left, the last thing anyone wanted to do was to go though another one.

Plus they would have to reveal what had happened to Liam and Jessie.

It was enough to make anyone's head hurt. Sephiroth tried to tell himself it would be better in the morning. He wasn't quite sure if he was lying or not. _Goodnight, Cloud._

_"Goodnight, Seph,"_ Cloud replied. By the time Sephiroth withdrew into their conjoined mind, safely asleep in their bed, the youth had already fallen into dreams.

**O o O**

Cloud wasn't being fair to anyone today and he knew it. For now he would try to get some sleep; maybe Sephiroth was right and it would be better in the morning. He fell asleep easily enough, but shortly after he found himself in a very vivid dream. It started out simply enough. He'd been walking on the road that ran through Nibelheim, passing the Shinra Mansion – _there are no clones here_ - on his way up to the reactor. He had barely stepped outside of the town's boundaries when the ground shuddered and thick silver chains broke free from the ground, clasping onto his arms, legs and waist. The more he struggled, the tighter the chains became, dragging him further down to the earth until he was flat against it.

_No! Let me go! Someone, HELP! Sephiroth, Vincent, Zack!_

"You've let yourself forget, haven't you? Forget who you are, what you are. Forget me, forget everything you've gone through…. But just because you don't remember me, remember _us_ does not make us go away young fool…."

"Who are you?" Cloud shouted, confused by the sudden voice that had spoken, yet no figure appeared. 

"Now, why would I tell you that?" The voice chuckled, the sound dark and bitter. "You'll find out soon enough, though I suspect you'll have some difficulties with those chains. No matter. I suspect the others will make up for her actions, though whether you survive the process or not is unknown. Have fun, child. I look forward to beating you on the battle field."

"What are you talking about?" Cloud demanded, pulling fruitlessly at his chains. "GET BACK HERE!" The voice did not reply, though suddenly more chains appeared, though not from the earth but from the sky. Nor were these silver but gold, grey, bronze, tin…in every color one could imagine the metal links came down, latching onto any part of Cloud they could find: fingers, hair, neck, knees….the list went on and on. Not content with merely further burdening him, the chains began to pull on him, dragging him upward, away from the earth. But not only in one direction but in a multitude.

Cloud Strife screamed as the metal tore him apart.

**O o O**

Zack awoke with a jerk as a loud scream filled the air. He jumped out of his bed and hurried over to the one in which Cloud currently thrashed. "Hey, Spike! Wake up!" The ex-SOLDIER held his friend close with one arm, carefully untangling the blankets twisted about Cloud's arm with the other. When he had successfully freed the youth, Zack held Cloud tightly, gently running his hands through the messy silver hair. "Shush, its okay kiddo." Cloud wept freely while clutching Zack's shirt tightly, his shoulders shaking with the sobs wrenching free. A very tiny part of Zack wondered at that. Sephiroth had never cried in his presence; no one even knew if it was possible for him _to_ cry. But Cloud was currently sharing a merged body with him and seemed able to manage it easily enough….

If there was ever a time when it would have been good for the pair to be separate though, it was now. Sephiroth always had an easier time at calming Cloud than he did.

Slowly, Cloud's form stilled and his tears ceased. He laid his head against Zack's chest for a long moment. "Thanks, Zack."

"Anytime," Zack replied with a smile. He gave Cloud a hug. "Think you can go back to sleep now?"

Fear crept into Cloud's eyes but he nodded. "Stay?"

"Right here," Zack promised, though he was surprised by the request. He tucked the youth back in and pulled up a chair so he sat besides the bed.

"Zack."

The ex-SOLDIER didn't have to look to know Cloud's eyes had changed from blue to green. "Seph. Any idea what just happened?"

"None. He had a nightmare, but more than that…" The elite trailed off, a frown fixed on his face. The man had basically been mimicking Zack's actions from within their conjoined mind, but it hadn't been as effective as Zack's attempts. Some things truly required real human touch. Sephiroth stayed silent for a long moment and then spoke. "I couldn't follow his thoughts, Zack. I couldn't see what he saw." 

And that, Zack knew, bothered Sephiroth more than anything else. After all that had happened lately, Sephiroth couldn't comprehend Cloud venturing someplace he could not go. "We'll ask him in the morning, Sephiroth. For now we better all get some sleep."

"Get in bed, Zack." The black haired man froze. "You'll only get stiff in that chair. I can't take both of you being crabby tomorrow."

Zack had to laugh at Sephiroth saying the word "crabby." It seemed far more natural in Cloud's vocabulary than in the former General's. "All right, sir." He mock saluted slipped under the covers, wrapping his hands around Sephiroth's waist, attempting to be merely a friendly, comforting presence and nothing more. It was painful because it was so familiar from a time that now seemed so long ago, but at the same time it was very different. He'd never been taller than Sephiroth when they were together. "Night, Seph."

**O o O**

The pair would have confronted Cloud as soon as he had woken up, if it hadn't been for another mystery. It was not something very extraordinary in and of itself, though the circumstances surrounding it caused everyone to be a bit nervous.

Sephiroth peered at the piece of paper in Vincent's hand. The ex-Turk had found it early this morning when he had returned from his nightly stroll. It looked ordinary enough to the elite's eyes, made of ordinary paper that looked like it could have been flinched from the inn's lobby. The strange thing about it was that it had managed to appear within their hotel room without anyone noticing how it had gotten there. Not easy to do, considering the number of clones in the vicinity.

"What does it say?" Zack asked, attempting to peer over Vincent's shoulder and failing miserably.

"**_How much longer are you going to deny who you really are?_**" Vincent read aloud.

A hush fell over the company. "I don't like the sound of that."

"Neither do I," Cloud put in, pushing Sephiroth aside as he took control. The youth seemed steadier today in comparison to yesterday, Sephiroth noticed with relief. The sleep must have helped. Hopefully everything would go back to normal now. Cloud reached out and took the note from Vincent's hands, looking at it carefully. _It can't be. Riku?_

Sephiroth gave Cloud a sharp glance. _"Who?"_

"I thought I recognized the handwriting, but that's not possible." Cloud answered aloud. He continued to clarify for the others in the room. "This looks like something a friend of mine would write, but there's no way for him to be here. It's impossible."

"I hate to point this out, Spike, but the impossible has been happening quite a bit lately," Zack replied. "When was the last time you saw this friend?"

"Shortly before I left for Midgar," Cloud replied.

"Well before Nibelheim then," Vincent observed. Cloud nodded. "Perhaps if we can discern whom the note refers to we can correctly determine its sender."

"Sounds like it applies to just about anyone here except me and Cloud," Reno put in from the side. All eyes turned to him. "Considering your…alterations."

"He has a point," Cloud agreed.

_"Except you know who wrote this, which means it's directed towards you,"_ Sephiroth interjected.

"But what could Cloud be denying?" Zack asked.

Cloud frowned, the words from his dream from last night returning to him. _He said I forgot…but what have I forgotten?_ His memories felt disjoint, as if he was missing several pieces of his mind. _Riku…I know the name but from where?_ For a second he heard a young voice call his name, challenging him to a race over the sand and then he lost it. _No good. I can't remember._

_"Cloud?_ Sephiroth frowned when Cloud didn't answer his query. He was able to follow Cloud's thoughts this time and they chilled him. Exactly why his lover would be missing so many memories, he didn't know but he could imagine someone who could make him lose them.

After all, Cloud _had_ grown up in Nibelheim, Hojo's favorite place to work.

"Hey, where did Reno go?"

Everyone glanced around, unable to answer Zack's question. Abruptly the door to their room burst open and a figure cloaked in black tumbled through it, Reno's gun at his back. "I think I found our mysterious messenger."

**O o O**

While everyone had wandered off into their own thoughts, Reno slipped out the door, a hunch nagging at him. He walked a little ways into the hall and immediately spotted a figure cloaked in black. A shiver ran down the Turk's back, well aware how much this person looked like one of those clones –

But who else was likely to have planted that note?

The odd thing was other individuals in the hall were passing the figure without giving him a second glance. It was like he wasn't even there. Taking a hint Reno set off down the hall, whistling cheerfully as if he didn't have a care in the world. Once he stood besides the figure, he whirled, Vincent's gun sliding easily into his hand. "Don't move or you're dead." The figure flinched in shock. "Now, step forward nice and easy. No tricky stuff." The figure bowed his head but did as Reno asked, moving carefully towards the room Reno had exited mere seconds ago. Reno kicked the door open and shoved the figure in front of him through it. "I think I found our mysterious messenger."

The top of the cloak had fallen back when the man had stumbled to reveal white-silver hair, possibly the closest match to Sephiroth's Cloud had ever seen. The figure stood slowly, raising his face to bring emerald eyes – also a very close match for the elite's – into view. But despite his looks, Vincent, Katal and Sephiroth couldn't detect the distinct resonance of Jenova in his soul.

Sephiroth stepped forward, hand on Masamune's hilt while shoving Cloud back. With the teen's mental state disturbed he couldn't take the chance of letting him fight. "Who are you?"

The figure didn't answer, only stared at him intently. Sephiroth found himself abruptly shoved so far back into his mind that he couldn't even see and could barely hear. How in the world had Cloud found the strength to do that? Sephiroth had always seemed to be able to dominate who was in control of their shared body.

"RIKU!" Cloud dashed forward and wrapped the intruder in a tight hug, burying his head in the taller youth's shoulder. "How did you get here? What happened? Are you okay?"

Riku – if that was the figure's name in truth – wrapped his arms about Cloud, returning the embrace. "It's good to see you too, Sora."

**O o O**

**O o O**

Yay, part one done! It would be helpful to be familiar with Kingdom Hearts as well as bound for this fic, though it really isn't necessary. Only a handful of the characters in the actual fic know the KH events, so we'll be covering them at least slightly. No knowledge of KH sequels is required – this think is more of a fusion than anything else, so it doesn't even follow KHI much less KH:COM or KHII!

I know this doesn't measure up to Bound standards. I apologize to readers at large. I can't capture some of the character's voices the way Quela does. ;;; I'm trying to stay with her world and her set up as much as possible but there _will_ be differences, as with any story written before the canon is complete. The parts may be later revised to fit in better with the new chapters as they come out, as _I_ certainly have no idea what she's going to do next!


	2. Chapter 2

I seem to have forgotten to mention this, but this splits off from Bound at chapter 30 (the beginning of 31 and chapter 1 was just an odd coincidence.) Just a reminder I'm playing with KH canon like _whoa_. As in, cut it up, shuffle the pieces, put it together and tie it into a pretzel. KHII spoilers are still nonexistent at the moment, seeing as I can't play the game till May 5th, though some may pop up in the future, at least in terms of concepts.

This was posted on LJ awhile ago. ; Forgot people read it over here. 

Title: Division  
Pairing(s): Same as Bound, at the moment.  
Rated: R (overall)  
Still don't own the FFVII characters or the KH ones. And Bound doesn't belong to me either.

Part 2

Riku felt a painful lurch in his chest when Sora called his name. The keyblade he had carefully tended these past seven years leapt at his friend's voice, attempting to spring back into the Sora's hands. Exerting his will, Riku managed to quiet it for the moment. How long that would last, he didn't know. The keyblade's dull burn had lead him this far, through the maze of worlds that had separated Riku from Sora. There had been times when he had wished to give up, but whenever he even considered the thought the power had become blisteringly hot to the point he had almost died. In truth it was the keyblade in control and Riku was merely its vessel. It would not be long before he had no control over it at all.

Maleficent had once told Riku that the keyblade was his by right, that Sora had stolen it. The young man knew now that was completely false. Any keyblade – much less The Keyblade – belonged to no one. It tolerated certain people and placed them on the paths that fit its own ends. How anyone could even think they could "control" the weapon was beyond Riku's comprehension.

Sora's arms grabbed him and held him close. Riku returned the embrace carefully; though he barely recognized the figure before him, he knew his friend's essence anywhere. He could tell his blue eyed foster brother had gone through a great deal of pain during his absence. The thought hurt, but worse still was the knowledge of the task that lay before him. Riku had accepted the keyblade of his own will. Sora would have to do the same, even if Riku had to convince him to take up the burden again.

"Cloud, get back." That was the gunner, the dark-haired man Sora's companions referred to as "Vincent." Riku had noticed the darkness rolling inside of the man as soon as he had begun to observe the group, stronger than in any of the others. He didn't trust Vincent, well aware how seductive such darkness could be. The man represented a weakness in the group, at least from his perspective.

The fact he was trying to take Sora away probably didn't hurt either.

Sora relaxed his death grip on Riku to give the red-clad man a strange look over his shoulder. Enlightenment suddenly blossomed in his blue eyes as he turned, his right arm still about Riku's waist. "He's not a clone, Vincent." His arm tightened, pulling Riku against his side. "He's always looked like this. And I've known him since I was six."

"Which is more than I can say for you," Riku interjected, staring up at Sora, something he had never had to do before. "What in the world happened?"

"This and that. You know me. I'm always getting into trouble." Sora grinned, an expression so memorable to Riku it nearly broke him to see it on such an unfamiliar face.

"Do I ever," Riku replied teasingly, willing to let the reason he had come here rest for a bit.

"Sorry to break up this little reunion," Reno interrupted, "but did you write this note?"

Riku mentally sighed. Apparently Sora might be willing to ignore the serious business, but his companions were not. "Yes, I did. That was for Sora."

"Who?" Zack asked, looking confused.

Riku pointed at the youth who had firmly attached himself to the silver haired man's side. "Him."

"I've heard Spike be called quite a few things but Sora was never one of 'em," Zack observed, eyes narrowing. "So why – "

"It's a nickname," Cloud quickly explained.

"When Kairi and I first met Sora we didn't speak the same language. She called him 'Sora' because the color of his eyes matched the sky." Riku added. He noted Vincent's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in thought, no doubt because the name was similar to a word in one the languages spoken here, that the red clad man had spoken to the young thief they had run into a short time ago. The common tongue spoken on the rest of the planet was rather different.

Thank goodness keybearers received the gift of tongues, or else Riku would have spent most of his time just trying to figure out what people were saying, much less how to find Sora!

Sora elbowed him in the side. "Where is Kairi anyway?"

"As far as I know, back on Hollow Bastion," Riku answered.

"Oh."

Riku couldn't help but note the sadness in Sora's voice. The youth obviously missed the girl who had practically been his foster sister.

"Ahem." Reno flapped the note to recover the pair's attention. "What exactly was meant by this?"

"Sora knows," Riku replied softly, glancing at his friend.

Sora took a step way from Riku, blue eyes narrowing. "We finished that, Riku. We're done. I can't go back now."

"Its not that simple, Sora." Riku sighed and switched to the language spoken on Destiny Islands. "We were wrong, Sora. It didn't work."

Sora shook his head, sending white locks flying wildly then replied in the same language. "I can't go back, Riku. I'm not that person anymore." His eyes were wishful. "Things were simpler back then. I was a lot simpler back then. I can't- there are too many people depending on me now."

"There are more than you think, Sora. More than you want to remember," Riku reminded his friend quietly. "More than any one planet can hold."

**O o O**

To say Sephiroth had been shocked by Cloud's actions would have been the understatement of the century. His lover had never been exactly eager to touch another, though he lacked Sephiroth's distant attitude. Worse still, Sephiroth couldn't feel any of Cloud's emotions the way he had been lately, so he couldn't understand what the youth was doing. Despite all that lay between them, Cloud had never mentioned this Riku to his lover, and that hurt more than Sephiroth wanted to admit.

Sephiroth mentally sneered at himself. To think he had boasted just a short time ago that he had discovered all of Cloud's secrets. It appeared he had been quiet incorrect in _that_ assumption.

The former could barely understand what was going on between the pair as they were apparently speaking in code. Once they switched to another language he found it impossible to follow the conversation at all. _"Cloud!"_ The mental summons went unanswered. Sephiroth reached out to grab the blond only to run up against a strong, invisible barrier. The elite stared at in shock and then in silent fury. He thought Cloud had managed to break that back in Reno's helicopter. Apparently it had reappeared with Riku's arrival.

Just another reason Sephiroth didn't like the Clone-look-alike.

At least now Cloud was withdrawing from the silver haired man. Sephiroth took advantage of Cloud's emotional instability and wrenched control away from the teen, eyes immediately changing from blue to green. "I suggest you leave Cloud alone." 

_"Seph-"_ Cloud sighed in exasperation. _"Don't be mad at him. It's not his fault, really. If what he is saying is true…" _He trailed off, sinking into his own thoughts.

For his part Sephiroth ignored the gentle rebuke, pressing his verbal attack. "You have invaded our company. I suggest you leave."

The former general's attitude had not gone unnoticed. Riku slipped into a defensive stance, hand outstretched as if holding a weapon. Sephiroth couldn't comprehend the pose; it served no practical purpose for hand-to-hand combat but the young man wasn't armed either. _Cloud, what is he doing?_

_"Oh crap. Don't hurt him, Seph!"_

_He doesn't even have a weapon._

Shock rolled off of Cloud. _"You can't see it?"_

_See what?_

_"Never mind, it's probably not that important. But I have a good idea about what's going on…_ Cloud shoved Sephiroth back none too gently and raised his hands in a comforting gesture. "No, Riku. Not Ansem. Not even Like Ansem."

"Sora-"

_"Cloud, who is Ansem?_

_He bothered Riku a while back._ Cloud didn't even have to look to see the upswept eyebrow signaling he should continue. The former blond grimaced. _Possessed._ This time the elite's eyebrows rose in disbelief. _He **did**. And Riku has been a little jumpy about that sort of thing ever since._

_"Regardless, he is trying to force you do to something. We cannot allow this to continue._

Cloud sighed, running a hand through his hair. _"It's – complicated, Seph. There's a lot going on you don't know about. A lot **I** don't know about either…."_

Sephiroth nudged Cloud back, assuming control again. Riku ignored the eye color change. "Look, if I had a choice I wouldn't be here, Sora. I know you deserve peace more than anyone else I've ever met. You've done more than your share. But I don't have a choice, and neither do you, really. Some things are stronger than either of us."

"Perhaps stronger than you – "

"Sora, you're already pulling on the power without even thinking about it," Riku interrupted, ignoring Sephiroth's words completely. "Or does your hair change color naturally?"

All eyes in the room abruptly focused on the joined pair's hair, shocked to see several pale blond streaks streaming through the silver white.

**O o O**

"Riku!" 

Just seeing the young man sent off an explosion in his head. Memories abruptly blossomed in his mind. He could remember the door he had found in the mountains, hidden from most people. The others in Nibelheim had called him a liar when he told them it was there, but he had known the truth. After gathering his courage he had gone through the door. Instead of the usual cold, gloomy Nibelheim landscape he had found himself in a tropical paradise….

By the sea he had found his first friends. Riku and Kairi, who had arrived literally just a week before him, though at the time he hadn't known that. As time had gone on the boys had developed a notion that Cloud had come first and Kairi second; only later talking to Riku's parents were the trio able to figure it out. Still, the three had bonded instantly, and the rest was history.

Unfortunately, that history hadn't been all joy and peace. They had faced more than their share of trials, first separated and then together. In the end they had all made one last sacrifice, an act that had all but guaranteed they would never see each other again. Yet here was Riku, as if things hadn't changed.

But so much had changed it wasn't even funny.

The youth known both as Sora and Cloud sighed. It was unbelievable he had forgotten all he had; even more shocking that he had done it to _himself_. Briefly he wondered if that actually made him older. They had reset time to shortly before his fourteenth birthday, but it had taken at least four years, possibly more for them to actually _do_ it. He certainly felt older; Cloud knew he was more experienced too.

The truth was, if had they successfully closed all of the paths between worlds he never would have been able to meet Riku again. This meeting meant they hadn't accomplished their goal, which in turn implied the Heartless were still causing havoc.

Fighting with Sephiroth for control while trying enough by itself but having to sort through the information suddenly appearing in his brain was quickly driving him to exhaustion. But Cloud wasn't about the let Sephiroth get hit by the keyblade, even if he probably would survive it. That thing could really _hurt_. It _was_ rather odd that Sephiroth couldn't see the keyblade, considering his other abilities. However, that was a puzzle for another day.

_Cloud? We may have a problem._

Cloud blinked and stared at the silver hair, shocked by the blond dancing in the depths. _"Uh oh."_

_What's going on?_

_I'm not a hundred percent sure but…."_ Cloud focused, and felt the energy about his rise. Even as the pair watched more blond appeared in their hair. _"Definitely not good."_

_Cloud. Explanation. Now._

_"I'm pulling on an external energy source. I shouldn't be able to anymore; we sealed it away a while ago."_

_Then **he** brought it back?_

Disturbed by Sephiroth's tone of voice, Cloud hastily moved to calm his lover. Or at least keep him from committing murder. _"Don't kill him, Seph. That won't help! In fact, it might only aggravate the problem. The power has to go somewhere and I'm the most likely candidate for the job."_ He sighed. _"Maybe I should just take it back. It's not like its going to hurt me. I was using it for years."_

_What is it?_

Cloud smiled faintly. _"The keyblade."_

_Which would be?_

_"Something that they've been trying to classify for centuries but have had no success,"_ Cloud impishly replied. 

**_Cloud._**

_"Only telling you the truth, Seph."_

_He wants you to take this 'keyblade' back?_ Sephiroth asked, trying to understand exactly what was going on between the pair.

Cloud nodded. _"More or less…."_

The mental conversation had barely taken a minute. Riku was still waiting. Seeing neither soul had chosen to speak, he continued his plea in his home tongue. "Sora, I don't want to force you to do this. If I could I wouldn't even be here."

Cloud gently shoved Sephiroth aside and looked deep into Riku's eyes. They reflected weariness in their deep green depths, but more than that, they showed sincerity. Riku truly believed in what he had said and Cloud knew that Riku had done everything to make this day never come. In the end it might be Cloud's decision, but if he left this in Riku's hands, wouldn't he just be running from his responsibility? He had handled the keyblade first, only to give it to Riku when everything was all over. There really was no decision.

"I believe you, Riku," Cloud murmured faintly in the same language and then switched back to the one commonly spoken on Gaia. "Before we do this, I want everyone to promise you won't interfere. And that you won't hurt him no matter what happens. We're dealing with some unpredictable stuff so neither of us know what will happen."

"Cloud – " Zack opened his mouth to protest.

The youth was already shaking his head. "Riku's right. Neither of us have much of a choice – and if we don't do this now there are likely to be consequences."

Seeing Cloud's resolute position, Zack reluctantly nodded. Vincent's head barely moved, but Cloud could sense his agreement. Reno shrugged and Katal didn't seem to have any urge to interfere. That left one more person. _Seph._

_"No."_ Flat out, no holds bared refusal.

Cloud ground his teeth. _Seph, this is something you don't understand. I need you to **support** me on this! Please. I can't promise you I'll be all right. All I can say is I will try to stay in once piece._ Still no reply. _I'll do this without your agreement, if I have to._

_"Fine."_ Sephiroth snapped sharply.

_Thank you,_ Cloud replied, pretending not to hear the sharp tone. He withdrew into their mind for a moment, grabbing Sephiroth's neck and pulling his head down for a final kiss. _I'll see you in a bit._

The teen reassumed control of their body and reached out his hand. Riku summoned the keyblade and held it out. Cloud glanced around and noted no one else seemed to be able to see it either. Shrugging the thought aside he reached out to clasp the cool metal hilt –

Heat exploded in his heart, nearly knocking him over. For a second, Cloud wondered if he was having a heart attack, only to the have pain ease as the fiery hot presence settle into a comforting warmth. And then, he began to see things….

He was Agrabah, with the blowing across his sands and the days long and hot….

He was Traverse Town, where the sun never shown yet all came to hide from the darkness…

He was Halloween Town, where the dead lived….

He was the Olympus Coliseum, where warriors fought and bled for glory…

He was Hollow Bastion, the place darkness had once taken refuge and found one of their strongest fighters….

He was Destiny Islands, a sleepy haven where people waited for the future to unfold..

He was that which held all of the worlds together…

_Kingdom Hearts._

**O o O**

Sephiroth couldn't see what Cloud was reaching for, but the minute the teen's hand touched the blade he could feel it. His chest exploded in pain, moving outward as if hot wire had suddenly replaced his veins. It hurt more than anything he had ever experienced, even in Hojo's hands….

_Click. _

Yet suddenly, with the soft sound of a lock opening, it was over.

Sephiroth blinked, suddenly uncomfortable aware his clothing was far too tight. He quickly stripped, ripping the material apart in his haste, gasping as he could breathe again. A moment later he found himself wrapped in Zack's bathrobe.

"What happened?" The former SOLDIER asked, staring at Sephiroth's appearance. The former General looked exactly as he had before Nibelheim.

"I've never seen anything like that," Reno muttered.

"It couldn't have been Black Jenova," Katal thought aloud.

Sephiroth was more concerned with something far more important. _Cloud?_ The query went unanswered, as a sense of emptiness overcame him. He suddenly felt more alone than he had since he had awakened after Nibelheim. The ex-General advanced on Riku. "What did you _do_?"

Zack grabbed his shoulder. "Whoa Seph. Hold on – "

Sephiroth shook off his friend's hand. "Cloud's gone."

**O o O**

**O o O**


End file.
